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Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

Peace Corps volunteers and NGOs that do beekeeping should find it useful. Assembled from scrap, with no power tools. Only a hammer, nail, machete and maybe pliers.

After much trial and error, over the last year, I've come forth with a simplistic beesmoker design for use in third world areas. This began as a project with Paul Jackson when I interviewed him to make a documentary about his bee smoker collection . Drawing upon my experience in East Africa in the Wagogo tribal areas of Tanzania, I think all the materials needed could be found in most villages in the bush.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

How about this? Elongate the planks that make up the bellows. Add an internal pivot beneath the bellows between the two planks
that make up the bellows. This could be a stick, dowel, piece of pipe,etc. nailed to either plank. Then cut the end off of a can just
like the ones used for the fire chamber. Make a cut down only one side of the can. Cut grooves into the bottom sides of the planks
on the outside of the bellows, opposite to each other, about 1/2" to 3/4" from the bottom of the plank. Stretch the can open and
let it spring shut into the cut grooves, Working much like a clothes line clip. This teeter-totter effect will pull the bellows open.
The stroke of the bellows can be adjusted by the placement of the dowel/pipe that you're using as a pivot. This will
have to be worked out during assembly with trial and error. I don't know the technical term for the type of spring you'll be making,
but it'll work much like the black paper clamps you can get at the office supply.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

I made one similar about a year ago for my first smoker. For the spring I twisted two steel wires together to add strength, then wrapped them around a small can to create the spring coil. You may have to stretch the spring to get the desired resistance to open the bellows. Then all that is necessary is to attach the "spring" to the inside of the bellows.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

Back to the 3-can smoker. My big anguish was the lack of a technologically appropriate spring. Any ideas?

Lungs make good bellows.

What's your goal? To provide technology to someone so they can work bees the way we do? So they are familiar w/ our equipment? How do they already smoke their bees?

Are you familiar w/ ethnobeeology.org? Found on Facebook. Some pretty nice photos and links found there.

I bet that sounded critical when you read it. It's not meant to. You have a good idea. And I have no idea what things are like in Tanzania. So, just asking because I am curious and ignorant.

I saw some minismokers at Brushy Mountains vendor display last week. Really small, really work, meant for decoration, not really built for use. Maybe getting a company to build them inexpensively and include them w/ the hives Heifer Project gets to people(?).

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

I've looked at it. It may work, but it also makes it so the smoker cann't be set down. I've got 2 other alternatives that seem more promising. A coiled spring inside made from wrapping wire around a can/stick is my leading contender.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

Originally Posted by sqkcrk

Lungs make good bellows.

I saw some minismokers at Brushy Mountains vendor display last week. Really small, really work, meant for decoration, not really built for use. Maybe getting a company to build them inexpensively and include them w/ the hives Heifer Project gets to people(?).

I know about the lungs. I've used them before. However, smoke induced resperatory illness kills about 4 million people a year. About 1/3 of the worlds population still cooks over a fire. You may want to see http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/3514
So many Americans don't understand what privaledged lives westerners live.

So with a good smoker, you make beekeeping safer than a smudge pot, and with more capacity. In a small way, you let a third world beek grow his outyard because he has better equipment.

As for having someone build a cheap smoker, almost certain to fail. Distribution is always a big problem, lack of cash is another problem, when the smoker breaks it is the final straw. I've seen studies on NGO's who give langstroth hives out in Africa. They all failed in the end because the cost to replace components. It is non sustainable. But get a design out there, and the idea can spread for free.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

What about a pipe that can be blown thru but not sucked back on?

I understand the idea behind giving someone an idea/design. I'm glad you are working on it. What you are doing interests me somewhat. I started beekeeping using 18th century technology. Though I guess we cheated and used a modern smoker.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

Sounds like my idea of the coil spring will work for you then huh Taylor. Glad to see that you think of it as your "leading contender".

Indeed. The coil spring has the advantage of compressing flat, can be affixed with a hammer and staples, and is comprised of just stiff wire. I think most commercial smokers use these.

The gotcha is I'm not sure that stiff wire is available. The ubiquitious coat hanger is a western phenomenon and not as easily found. However, even in the village of Mima and Ufana, I saw a bicycle. I bet that a bike spoke could be bent into a spring coil, even just by using a machete or bare hands. I'll have to experiment.

The second option is a wood spring. Many kinds of wood are springy. ie. Bois d'Arc wood. I'll just have to test, test, test. Then I think I'll have to show both options and write it up in my design.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

It is conceivable that any "green" wood could work for this application. However, the wood will dry out and would easily break during the compression stroke rendering the bellows inoperable.
Good luck with the testing phase.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

A wrap of wire would enable the can spring design to be hung from whatever is close. Then you would only need four cans, instead
of adding another specialized item to the list to be gathered up. You are already using some sort of wire for staples.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

The cans are springy. Punch out leaf springs from them. Put some temper on them with the hammer. If the leaf springs from cans
are placed near the bottom of the bellows, a bearing can be made from cans for the spring to rub against. The bellows are open space. I didn't see any sort of valves for it. Long strips of can will work for leaf springs.

Re: Bee Smoker Designed for the Third World

What about some cardboard with cotton on the inside, rolled into a "burrito" kind of thing?. Lit it and once it gets going, you place it inside a metal pipe where you just blow from the opposite side of the devise -I made it and used it as described, during an emergency I had with an extraction.
Regardless, if beekeeping is the goal; it will require tools and resources no matter what.
In Mexico, I have seen rectangular smokers that are "banged" together out of scrap sheet metal -they sell for about $9.00 dollars or so, they are nice and heavy.
I would fabricate it the same way, with raw hide, old boot leather or canvas heavy painted with wax/propolis for the bellow, for spring, I would use automobile scraps from junkyards or a spring from rat traps -this are abundant everywhere you go.